The Castlegar Sun Wednesday, June 3, 1992 Wednesday, June 3, 1992 The Castlegar Sun Page 2A HCE IN What would you rather be doing? Vehicle: Bike Going to Calgary m= Sweep Teachers walk through provincial day of concern SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor Castlegar teachers took to the streets last week to show their support for a province-wide ment's education funding. B.C. teachers say the govern- ment's current block-funding pro- cess is inaccurate, i and needs to be The block- funding formula, started by the Vander Zalm government, allots money based on the projected increase of students for the upcoming school year—which can be difficult to determine. Some teachers say that school boards should send in their approved budgets to the govern- ment for financing, which would eliminate some unnecessary cuts. The bugs in the funding system have created problems, which result in teacher layoffs and a decrease in services and pro- grams for students. “The funding formula is very complicated and is causing upheavals,” said Bill Gorkoff, president of the local teacher's association. In the Castlegar school district, the upheavals include the eventu- al loss of three teaching positions, reneging on the proposed director of special education position, and stéady program cuts and services More than 50 local teachers walked from the school board office to the Hi Arrow hotel = in Castlegar, to show their support for a provincial day of concern, which protests gov- ernment spending on education. which create less options for stu- dents. Teachers across the province have signed positions and held protests. More than 50 local teachers marched last Wednesday, starting at the school board office and ending at the Hi Arrow Hotel, where an informa- tive social was held thereafter. Although education spending has been increased by $300 mil- lion this year to $3.5 billion, teachers believe the government is still holding back on a large sum of money that is directed for educational purposes. “We think the NDP govern- ment is holding back more than $80 million now, which they might very well present later in SUN STAFF PHOTO / Sharlene Imhoff the fall,” Gorkoff said. The 1992 funding amount, which constitutes 2.93 per cent increase at the local level, still falls short of the 3.45 per cent projected increase in the student population. “A big part of the problem is the fact that no one really knows what is going on until the fall,” finished Gorkoff. Ultraviolet index rating now a regular part of local weather forecast BRENDAN HALPER Sun staff Castlegar sunbathers and other non couch-potatoe-types can now know how much or what type of sunscreen to wear before heading out to work or play. The South Central Interior Weather Office at the Castlegar Airport started a new program last week known as Ultraviolet Index (U.V.1). Continued from 1A the selection a more public affair. “We are going to be examining it to see if it can be changed, with the possibility of students and faculty being appointed,” he Nominations for the new board were taken from the exist- ing board, college administration, the instructors union, the stu- dent's federation, and the local Garrison agreed that it was a large scale change, but said that it = Strike was to be expected. He said the combination of not a lot of change in board membership in the past few years, two members moving out of their communities, and two members serving six year terms resulted in the high turnover. He added that the large number of NDP members on the board reflects the vote in the last election, and that political affilia- tion is not a criterion listed or examined in the cabinet selection process. Continued from 1A table, you can bet we'll be walk- ing on June 15.” If the unions follow through with their words and take job action, more than 300 Celgar pulp and paper workers would be among those who strike. It’s safe College to JASON KEENAN Sun staff to assume here, said Shewaga, that i at the “The purpose is to raise public of variati in ultravi- olet levels,” said Operational Technician Ron Lakeman. The Ultraviolet Index is also. Meant to support the Ministry of Health in educating the public on the dangers of sun exposure. “It's part of the green plan,” he said. “It came about because of raised concem over the thinning of the ozone layer.” The index will be issued each morning on local radio stations— the morning report will apply to that day, not the following day. The ultraviolet levels will be er announced in three on a scale of 0-10—0-3.9 is a low rating (a person would have to be posed for well over an hour to mill currently working on the Celgar expansion would not takes place, a lot more than $13,000 people will be affected by it.” learn foreign forestry ck, principal of Selkirk College. The week-long visit by the Selkirk College will be learn- ing about foreign forestry man- agement practices when four Swedish forestry students visit the college next week. “The visit is going to expand Our students’ and instructors” spectives on how [Swedish forestry] is done,” said Mel Stel- four stud Tommy Rytter, Per Johansson, Claes Jansson, and Johan Dagero, is the second step in building a more formal rela- tionship between the schools. The first step.was a visit by Bo get a sunburn), 4.0-6.9 is a mod- erate rating (a 30-minute sun- burn), 7.0-9.0 is high (20 minute sunburn) and 9.0-10 is extreme (a sunburn in less than 15 minutes). Lakeman points out however, cultural Sciences in Bispgarden, Sweden, will be visiting the college as a part of a North American trip. A ridge of high pi WEATHER OF MAY 1992 over the warmer than normal May. Temperature High This Year 32.5 tion of British Columbia for most of May 1992. For two or three days, each week a surge of moist, cool Pacific air would push through the protection ridge to give showers or, on occasion, thunder showers. The end result was a drier, summer and Date Record Day 34.2 26 4 ‘Within a year's time, we could have a formal relationship between the institutes.’ — MEL STELCK Principal Operational Technician Ron Lakeman, from the Castlegar Weather Office, prepares that these ratings are for the peak index, only achieved around solar noon (1 p.m.)}—after which time the level quickly declines. Other variables include the angle of the sun, which is directly related to the seasons, and the practices them out,” Holden added. Swedish prese’ perspective. “It will be interesting to see how they view the two per- spectives,” Holden said. With the help of Reiner Augustin at the Arrow District B.C. Forestry Office, the students will be exposed to local forest The diffe types thinning of the ozone. The risk of sunburn remains even during days of high thin cloud cover as 80 per cent of the ultraviolet rays still penetrate the cloud. So be sure to listen to the local ‘SUN STAFF PHOTO / Brendan Halper radio stations and catch an ultra- violet index before heading to the beach. “Ultraviolet rays are also dan- gerous to the eyes,” Lakeman Pope and Talbot contract talks put on hold ‘SHARLENE IMHOFF Sgn Editor Contract talks between Pope and Talbot and its Castlegar saw mill workers have been put on hold until other commitments on either side can be looked after. “The negotiations are going smoothly, it's just that both sides have other things they'd like to take care of before resuming,” said IWA-Canada spokesperson Tony Ferreira, Tuesday. Ferreira said he wants any mis- conceptions of ill-negotiating cleared away. “The environment has been quite friendly so far,” he contin- ued. agreement, if they sign, could mean a few sacrifices. “We have The 300 plus workers at the saw mill had their three-year contract expire July 1, 1991 One stumbling block with nego- tiations involves a benefit package ‘We have negotiated our contracts as an independent mill that since 1967' — TONY FERREIRA IWA Canada spokesperson negotiated our contracts as an independent mill since 1967. In time we have managed to accomplish a few things,” Fer- reira said. While the the employees are being offered, which has already been accepted by South- em Interior sawmill workers. This IWA spokesper- son said it would be in the union’s best interest to join with Southern Interior Jocals, meaning Pope and Talbot's Grand Forks and Midway mills, the Castlegar employees benefits might suffer for it. “I hate to use the word conces- sion here,” he said. Wages are not the big issue with these negotiations. The Castlegar workers have tentative- ly accepted a deal which would see nO wage increass in the first two years of the agreement, fol- lowed by an 85 cents per hour increase in the third year of the agreement. An official from Pope and Tal- bot could not be reached for com- ment. Celgar labelled as prime polluters SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor Celgar Pulp officials are disap- pointed with the Washington State Health Department, which published the Lake Roosevelt Health Advisory in late May, a document claiming that the Cana- dian pulp mill is the primary source of furans found in the lake and in the fish. “It definitely leaves the wrong impression,” said Celgar Envi- ronmental Manager Jim McLaren. The health advisory, titled Eat- ing Fish From Lake Roosevelt, covers the rhetoric and the reality of health risks from dioxins, and lists various efforts currently tak- ing place to protect the lake from future hazards. Under one sub-headline titled, Where did the dioxins come from?, the advisory states, “The primary source of dioxins in Lake Roosevelt is the Celgar Pulp mill located in Castlegar, British Columbia. The Canadian mill has been discharging dioxins into the Columbia River since the early 1960s.” The advisory goes on to state, under the heading, Efforts to protect Lake Roosevelt widen, “Celgar Pulp Company reports that they have made significant progress in reducing the of dioxins and furans discharged over the past year. A modernized mill, scheduled to be on line July 1993, is expected to cut down on the discharge even further.” Before the advisory was pub- lished, said McLaren, officials from Celgar were presented with a copy and asked to quickly make impression,” McLaren said. “So we made the suggestion.” The suggested changes by Cel- gar re-worded the paragraphs as follows, “The primary source of historical dioxin discharges into Lake Roosevelt is thought to be the Celgar pulp mill located in Castlegar, British Columbia. Cel- gar started producing bleached kraft pulp in 1960. When research identified the source of dioxins, process changes were immediately made in the late 1980s. Since then, dioxin has not been detected in the pulp mill dis- charge.” Under the heading Efforts to protect Lake Roosevelt widen, Celgar indicated the following any y ges, which, h “Celgar Pulp company after reading what was about to reports that dioxin remains non- be printed, did immediately. “We felt that the information as presented by the Washington State Health Department was not accurate and left the wrong in their river discharge and that further process changes in 1991 resulted in significant reductions in furan discharges Modernization of the mill has SUN STAFF PHOTO / Brendan Halper Utterly, engrossed— Youngsters watch with interest, a puppet show put on by the Stanley Humphries Secondary School Drama Department, last Friday. said. “You should wear €s as well as sunscreen.” On May 28, Police respond- ed to a report of # break in at the Doukhobor Hall on 2nd street. Entry was gained a boarded-up window. Fire extinguishers were dis- charged in the hall leading police to believe the break-in was done by youths. RCMP investigating break-ins and theft A 15-year-old male is in cus- tody for the break-in and theft at Cutin’ Loose Hair Des: which occured on May 18. Police believe the had a key to the small amount of cash was stolen. The offender appeared in court yes- terday. of forest to be visited “Within a year's time, we could have a formal relationship between the institutes,” said Den- nis Holden, an instructor at Selkirk’s forestry program, and an organizer of the Swedish visit. As a part of ding interna- include: forestry, range and wildlife interaction in the Pend D’Oreille valley; demonstration forest, watershed management, cross-country skiing, logging, and Merry Creek, Blueberry Creek, Mudlake, Shields, and Rossland tional ties between Selkirk and institutions overseas, Holden said that college President Leo Perra suggested about a year ago that an exchange be set up with a north European forestry program. “It just happened that these four stu- dents were in North America at the right time,” Holden said. “Our letter came at the right time.” The visit will be an opportuni- ty for Selkirk to learn about Swedish forestry, and to get the Swedes opinions on Canadian forestry practices. The four visi- tors are between 24 and 28 years old, and have training equivalent to a Canadian Registered Profes- sional Forester. “We hope to talk to them and fee! areas, old and new harvesting, and at Springer Creek, horse logging, insect problems, and recreation in Valhalla Park and Wragge Creek; vegetation control by sheep at Nakusp; spawning at*Burton- Snow Creek, and cable logging at Cariboo Creek. “It’s an opportunity for us to participate, and to show people the good, the bad, and the ugly,” said Augustin. Holden added that there will be ample opportunities for infor- mation exchanges, since the stu- dents will be boarding various people involved in forestry, including the assistant mill man- ager at Celgar Pulp. By Leigh Rubin Unfortunately it wasn't until the next December 25 that to file a missing anyone thought persons report. Recent scholarship award to college ensures Legion will exist forever JASON KEENAN | Sun Staff Making sure the Legion sur- vives will help two Selkirk Col- lege students every year. The Royal Canadian Legion Castlegar Robson Branch 170 handed over a cheque for $20,000 last Thursday to start two new awards at Selkirk Col- lege. Dennis Tucker, chairman of the bingo ittee at the “We don’t have a guar- antee that we'll have a Legion here in 10 to 20 years.” He said that combination of a declining and aging membership might threaten the continued existence of the Legion. With the $20,000 donated by the Legion, and the $5,000 matching donation from the Selkirk College Foundation, two awards will be set up as a com- of the 125th anniver- Legion, said that the awards will help ensure that the Legion lives on in name at least. L to R Bingo workers Grace Wilson, George Kardash, Hilda Salmon along with Bingo sary of Confederation. The $1,250 Castlegar Robson Legion Branch 170 Canada 125 Entrance Scholarship will be awarded in October to the student planning to attend Selkirk with the highest ranking in three provincial exam subjects. First priority will be given to a student graduating from School District 9, and if theze is no suitable can- didate, the surrounding school districts will be the next choice. In mid-February, the $800 bur- sary will be given to a Selkirk student on the basis of financial need. In the first year, the schol- Chairman Dennis Tucker, Rob Maclean, Chairman of the Selkirk College Foundation, and Bob MacBain, Legion President show the cheque for $20,000 big ones. started and once completed in 1993, both dioxin and furan dis- charges will be eliminated.” When presented with the changes, the Washington State health department's various con- tacts. “We felt the material we sub- mitted was more factual and left little room for misinterpretation,” McLaren said. Discovering that no changes were made, Celgar wrote a letter to the Washington State ven 0 ment of Health, which questi why the changes were not made. and the weekend. WEATHER _ OUTLOOK: The forecast for Wednesday; Sunny the chance of thundershowers. Highs will be between 22 and 26. Lows around 7. The forecast for Thursday and Friday calls for sunny periods on Thursday with possible thundershowers. Warming trend called for on Friday INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE REMARKS: The weather for the past week has been sunny with thundershowers and high winds. Forecast provided by The South - East Interior Weather Office at Castlegar, B.C. ““We asked the state of health to circulate the letter to the same contacts who had received the previous advisory,” McLaren said. “We wanted them to view our changes.” Joanne Bonnar, toxics educa- tion coordinator at the Washing- ton State Department of Health, said the department requested and received a large amount of infor- mation from various agencies regarding dioxins in Lake Roo- sevelt—including Celgar. Due to the amount of feedback, she said it was difficult to incorporate all the changes which some agencies requested. “We were doing our best to present a fair and accurate advi- sory,” said Bonnar. The coordina- tor also said that the department had received the letter from the Celgar Pulp Company and that copies with the changes had been sent to various other agencies for further clarification. City receives provincial grant Sun Staff Castlegar is one of several municipalities that will share a total of $18.6 million in sewer and water grants given by the provincial government. Castlegar's share of the pie equals $38,825. Provincial fund- ing levels vary from 25 to 50 per cent of water project costs and from 25 to 75 per cent of sewer project costs, depending on the nature of the project and exis- tence of environmental or public concerns. Grants for sewer and water systems are one aspect of the provincial government's municipal Revenue Sharing Program. Under this program, a portion of the revenue col- lected by the province is set aside to help local government sustain a high quality of basic infrastructure and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for its citizens. @ Iliness Residences a reality JASON KEENAN Sun Staff Selkirk College has always had a dream. It finally came to life last Thursday with the official grand opening of the residence complex at the College. “We are all pleased that the facility is available for 1992 so we can get used to it, and get through the growing pains,” said college President Leo Perra to the crowd of about 50. Most people, attending the grand opening had a shower of compliments for the soon to be home away from home for 100 students. Located on the flats just above the gymnasium complex, the west side rooms and picnic area offer a spectacular view of Castlegar and the Columbia Valley. “There's been a joke about launching the residencies from the bank of the Columbia,” said LEO PERRA the rents [in town] down.” The new complex will start paying for itself immediately. The rooms will be rented out to groups holding summer confer- ences at Selkirk, and they can be rented out on a casual basis. “Our policy is to maximize ” said resi man- Elizabeth Fleet, who was chair- man of the college board until last Friday. “This is an important new era for the College,” Fleet added. “There's been talk about resi- dences since the beginning of the College 25 years ago.” The seri- ous discussions began seven to eight years ago, and the process that finally saw the complex built began in 1990. Mayor Audrey Moore told the audience that she was pleased that the dream of the residences had finally come to fruition. “There's been almost as much talk about residences at Selkirk as there has been about malls in Castlegar,” Moore added. Fleet cited the Celgar modem- shortage, as prime reasons for fast-tracking the project at that point. Mayor Moore said that the res- idences should have a positive influence across the river. “It gives the college a lot more flexibility, and takes the pressure off of the small suites in Castle- gar,” Moore said. “It will keep upancy,” sai ager Eva Varabioff. “We want to have our expenses paid off as soon as possible.” Groups already booked include the West Kootenay Women’s Committee Confer- ence, Elder Hostel, and a group in town for Sunfest. The rate is $25 per-person per-night, and includes towels, soap, and linen. “Tt’s pretty basic. We're not a hotel,” Varabioff added. “In future years, conference services could even serve to keep [the student] rates reasonable.” She said she is also open to the rooms being rented out on a casu- al basis, to students travelling through the area, for instance. It is common for universities and col- leges to rent out dormitory space in this way during the summer. Prices for on-campus accom- d are fairly comparabl to off-campus housing. Currently, a single 130 square foot room with a shared washroom facility rents for $330 per month. Come September, rent will be $340 per month. In September, the rooms will be exclusively for students’ use. Continued from 1A thought by these residents is that industry air and water pollution could be the cause behind the ill- nesses, the fact that communica- tion is open between Canadian and American health officials, as well as industry, could be the first step in solving the mystery of the = Water pocket-illnesses. “When people are concerned about their health, we have to be concerned as well,” said Celgar Environmental Manager Jim lems south of the border. “We'll be keeping in touch with the State Health department, throughout their investigations. McLaren, who admits there is currently no evidence to suggest that Celgar or Cominco are responsible for causing the health It’s imp to keep the lines of communication open.” Currently, the Canadian observers have not been made aware of a second meeting Continued from 1A River system is currently less than half its normal flow and the U.S.-Canadian inflows along the system are a third below normal. Conroy, who was once employed as a tug boat operator on the Columbia River, says that until the agreement expires, the Americans can virtually go unstopped. “It’s a tug-of-war over water we just can't win,” he said The Columbia River Treaty expires in two stages, one part in 1998 and another in 2003 eee